Machine ix



May 1.1928.. 1,668,356

P. L. CROWE f MACHINEVFOR COMMINUIVING COAL AND CREATING A DRAFT TO FEED THE COMMINUTED COAL Filed oct. 2s, 1925 @l Patented May 1, 1928.

, UNITED ,STATES PAUL L. CROWE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

MACHINE FOR COMMINUTING COAL AND CREATING A DRAFT T0 THE COM- MINUTED GOAL.

application ined october-2s, i925. serial No. 65,450.'

rlfhis invention relates to grinding nia.- chines, and especially to a machine for comminuting coal and creating a draft to ieed the comminuted coal. Still more specifically, the invention is a combination of {grind- .ing or commiuixting elements and tens assembled in a unitary casing, traine or hody`- which is provided with one or more outlets througjh which the tan or fans cause a draft or drafts ot air to dow while having` the comminuted coal coi'nmingled therewith; vthe primary purpose of such mixture of air and comminuted coal being' to feed one or more stoves, furnaces or the like with combustible material in the presence of suliicient oxygen to effect a perfect and complete comhustion oit thecomminuted combustible material.

Another purpose or object of this invention is to provide the grinding and draftcreating device in a compact and convenient arrangement so it can be seated on or .secured to a stove or furnace, in the moet appropriate and convenient relation for feeding such mixture of air and comminuted coal into such stove or furnace.

@ther objects and important features will be pointed out or implied in the following details of description, in connection with the accompanying` drawings in Which:--`

Figures l, 2, .3, i and dare central, vertical, sectional vievvs illustrating difiere-,nt forms of the invention. Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view substantially along` the line 5--5 of Figure 'l. Figure i' is a sectional view, partly'lnolren away, the section being taken along the line '-7 ot Figure l.

lt will he observed that each ol the vertical sectional views ot the complete device, shows the same general combination in a broad sense, and' at the same time, each shows one or more features otditi'erence in the Olnl or arrangement. parts which are identical will he designated by sin'iilar reference numbers, letters `ot reference are added to such numbers Where the parts are functionally similar, but structurally different.

Wit-h the above system ot indicating' lthe ditl'erent parts. it will he seen that the members of Figures l, 2, 3, a and 6 are indicated. respectively at h, 50C, 50d, 50e and 50i.

The respective rotors are indicated at 521 to y52f= respectively of the main central sec- Therefore, While tional views. Most all of the rotors are n'ioulltedV to turn on Van annular series of ball hearings indicated at 53b in Figure l. Eachl ywhich is described as follows:-

ri. horizontal partition 56, in the form of a disc, separates the upper tan-blades fromtheloiver tan-blades, and the curved arrow ot Figure 7 indicates the direction of motion oit' `the rotor and its fan-blade. In view ol. the curvature'iand direction of rotation of the upper vtan-'blades, the air (which enters through the hopper 571 and through a perforated grinder 58h) is thrown ontn'ard past the outer ends of they tan-blades, into a space surronnding` the partition or disc 56; and non", because of the opposite curvature ot the fan-'blades 56, the air is drawn inward from the outer ends of the lower fan-blades, and by the pressure thus created, is kforced out through the outletopening 159"` lThis operation continues to suck the air in through the hopper land apertured grinding member so long as the rotor is turningl vthe direction indicated. lt should'he understood that any apprendere meansinay be employed for rottating` the rotorj for instance7 `gear-teeth 60] are shown inFigure l, and where no means is shown for rotatingthereto@ it is to he understood that any appropriate means may he eniployed for rotating` it.

yRevt'erring now to Figures l kand y5, it will he seen that the arrangement of the tanblades is similar to that ot F igures 3 and G. in the respect that these views shovv outer and inner fan-blades instead of the upper and loiver ones previously described. New consideringthe tan-blades to be 'turning in the direction oi' the arroiv in Figure 15, it will he seen that they draw air iny through one or more openings Gl", discharging' this air through an annular port or seriesot ports or'outlets 59e, thus tending to'induce a iion1 of air through one or moreoutlets 5990, and

at the same time, the fan-blades are suching air through the hopper 57e .and through the perforated grinder 58e, and forcing this air through the outlets 59, The operation just described is substantially the same in the forms sho-wn in Figures 3 and (3.

For the purpose of distinguishing between two types of grinding mechanism, for comininuting the coal, l have adopted the terms horizontal grinder and vertical grinder. These two types are shown in Figures l and l-, Figure l having the horizontal grinder, and Figure the vertical grinder. The vertical grinder of Figure l comprises a hopper 57e having a downwardly converging wall provided with ribs or grinding elements 57, and the number of grinding elements may be reduced or increased, according` to the desires of the niianufacturer. The rotor 52e of Figure 4 includes a substantially truste-conical grinding element 68@ provided with grinding ribs 68, this member 68e being perforated at 59e. These perforations are preferably inwardly diverging and downwardly inclined, so the comminuted particles of coal can not choke them. Although such openings 58e are shown only in the sectional plane, it is to be understood that the entire annular surface of each of such grindingl elements, in the several vie-ws, iskprovided with such perforations. It will be seen that the grinding face of each hopper, (in the several views including the vertical grinder) is downwardly converging with respect to the grinding face of the correlated grinding element of the rotor. In the vertical grinder, the grinding of the coal is eiected within the hopper, and as the minute particles are dislodged from the lumps ofcoal, the air current (previously described) draws these particles through the perforated grinding elementn and they pass downward and outward, with the air, through the Outlets previously described; but the larger particles and lumps of coal gravitate into the narrower space between the grinders, so the grinding ribs continue to dislodge particles from such lumps, thereby continually producing and feeding the comminuted particles, with the air, through the respective outlets.

In the forms of the invention including the horizontal grinder, shown in Figures l, 2, 3 and 6, lower and upper grinding members are arranged to converge towards their outer edges or peripheries, these being indicated by the following reference characters: 58D and 58m in Figure l; 58C and 58C in Figure 2; 58d and 5811 in Figure 3; Sf and 58 in Figure 6. ln each of these forms where there is a lower and upper grinding member, the rotation of the lower grinding member, by its centrifugal force, when rotating, throws the lumps of coal outwards into the narrower space between the grinding discs, so the abrading or ribbed surfaces of the grindimgl discs comminute the coal, and the comminuted particles are caused, by gravity or the air-draft or both, to pass through the lower grinding disc, then through the chamber or chambers containing the fan-blades, and linally through the outlet or outlets, according to the specilic form of burner to be fed thereby.

lt should be understood that all forms have their fan-blades properly set, according to the direction of rotation of the rotors, respectively, for creating the air-drafts as described, and that there may be any appropriate number of the fan-blades of any appropriate shape, as shown in Figure 5, or at variance with such figures. Vlt should also be understood that the vertical sectional views, as well as the others, do not purport to show all the fan-blades that are or mightbe employed. In other words, all views may be considered as somewhat conventional or diagrammatic. ln this respect, however, attention is called to the fact that all stationary parts are sectioned in one direction (in the respective views), while all rotary parts are sectioned in the other direction, for clearly distinguishing between the stationary part and the rotary part of each machine. lt shouldalso be understood that the grinding ribs are necessarily exaggerated in these drawings (as well as some other dimensions), and that such grinding ribs may be substituted by or for the roughened or knurled surfaces indicated in Figure l, at 58h", Figure 2, at 58, Figure 3, at 58d?, Figure t, at 58e", Figure 6, at 58M; while most forms would comminute the material with relatively smooth and plane grinding surfaces.

Any appropriate means, as shown, or different from that shown, may be provided for securing the primarily separate parts of the respective stationary rotary parts of the respective machines.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the forms here shown and described, for the invention is susceptible of various changes within the scope of the inventive ideasas implied and claimed.

That l claim as my invention is:

l. In a device of the character described, the combination of a hollow body including a hopper, and a rotor in said hollow body and including a part which is rotatable within the hopper and is provided with means to cooperate with the hopper for pulverizing coal or the like, means being provided for creating a draft of air through the hopper and for discharging a mixture of the air and pulverized coal or the like.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a hollow body including a hopper which is provided with coal grinding elements which are downwardly and inwardly converging, and a rotor in said hollow body and including coal-grinding elements which cooperate With-those of said hopper for pulverizing coal, means being provided to create a draft of air through said hopper and to discharOc said air with the coal Which is pulverized by saidhopper and rotor.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of two bodies, one of which is mounted to rotate with respect to the other, one of said bodies including a coal receptacle provided with downwardly con-r verging grinding elements, the Aother of said bodies having` a part Within the coal receptacle and provided with coal'grinding elcments to cooperate with the iirst said coal grinding elements in pulverizing coal, the rotary one of these two bodies carrying a an for causing an air current to pass through the coal receptacle and discharging a mixture of said air and pulverized coal.

4*. The structure deiined by claim 3, one ot said bodies being provided with an outlet in its bottom for discharging the mixture ot air and pulverized coal into a stove or vWard from the coal receptacle, the nonrotary one of said bodies having an outlet in its bottom for discharging a mixture of said air and pulverized coal therethrough and through an opening in the top ole stove or the like.

G. The structure defined by claim 3, one of seid bodies having pcrforations inter spcrsed with the said coal grinding elements for passing air and pulverized coal there through, this structure having an outlet With which said pcrforations are in open cominunication.

7. The structure dclined by claim 1, the draft creating means including an air inducvtion fan and an air forcing fan, snbstan tia-lly as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

PAUL L. CROVVE. 

